Category 1
If you wish to keep spooky spirits away, sprinkle this along the doorways of your home to prevent them from entering!
A) Sand
B) Sugar
C) Salt
Salt
If you've watched any supernatural shows, you might notice that some characters use salt as a way to protect themselves against frightening spirits — and there's a pretty good reason why. Some say that salt acts as a "protective shield against evil spirits and malevolent entities" and has been a practice dating back to ancient times.
These two colors are mainly associated with Halloween and there's a good reason why!
A) Orange & Black
B) Purple & Orange
C) Orange & Yellow
Orange & Black
The Library of Congress reports that the colors of black and orange trace back to the Celtic festival of Samhain, a Gaelic festival marking the end of the harvest season and beginning of winter — or the "darker half" of the year. Thus, black represents the "death" of summer while orange represents the life of the fall harvest.
There is also a traditional Halloween _______ in Ireland
A) Dance
B) Song
C) Bread
Bread
It's called barmbrack or just "brack." The sweet loaf typically contains dark and golden raisins, as well as a small hidden toy or ring. Similar to the classic king cake at Mardi Gras, tradition dictates that the person who finds the item will come into good fortune in the coming year.
This city throws the biggest Halloween parade in the United States!
A) New York
B) Los Angeles
C) Chicago
New York
On an average year, the event draws more than 2 million spectators and includes about 70,000 participants joining in as the route winds through Greenwich Village. It all began as the brainchild of Greenwich Village resident and puppeteer Ralph Lee, who just wanted to have a whimsical walk from house to house for his kids and their pals. When a local theatre got wind of it, they joined in and expanded the event. It's gotten bigger, more creative and more theatrical just about every year since.
There is a city in ______________ that temporarily renamed itself to, "Halloween."
A) Idaho
B) South Carolina
C) Michigan
South Carolina
According to The State, a newspaper published in Columbia, South Carolina, back in 2022 a city in Horry County called Conway announced that for the month of October they would be renamed the "city of Halloween," in an effort to "boost tourism and economic development during the fall season."
Every ______ years there's a full moon on Halloween!
A) 66
B) 19
C) 43
19
Nothing quite adds to the energy of a great Halloween night than a dark sky and a full moon shining among it. But since they are so rare, according to NASA, you're only likely to see one every 19 years. Oh well, if anything that makes one on Halloween night even more special!
This state produces more than twice as many pumpkins than any other state.
A) Florida
B) Illinois
C) Virginia
Illinois
If you're in the market for a truly destination-worthy pumpkin patch, head to the heartland. The Land of Lincoln has more than 17,6000 acres devoted to gourd growing, according to the United States Department of Agriculture. Those Illinois farms typically grow about 37,500 pumpkin pounds per acre and about 630 million pounds of pumpkins overall in 2022, a number that has surely increased within the last two years.
These costumes rank as the most popular costumes worn on Halloween day.
A) Princesses & Superheroes
B) Witches & Zombies
C) Professional Athletes & Doctors
Princesses & Superheroes
Barbie was one of the most popular costumes for adults last year, following the success of the Barbie movie which premiered in July 2023, but princesses and superheroes still continue to be top choices, followed by witches, fairies and dinosaurs according to Google Trends.
The holiday of Halloween dates back more than ___________ years!
A) 45,000
B) 2,000
C) 3,720
2,000
It all started as a pre-Christian Celtic festival called Samhain, which means "summer's end." Held in the beginning of November, the feast recognized the last day of the fall harvest and spirits crossing over, since they believed the veil between the living and spirit world grew thinnest at that time.
Some Halloween rituals used to be geared toward finding a(n) _________.
A) Spouse
B) Egg
C) Pet
Spouse/Husband
During the 18th century, single ladies devised Halloween traditions that were supposed to help them meet their romantic match. According to History.com, women used to throw apple peels over a shoulder, hoping to see their future husband’s initials in the pattern they made when they landed. When bobbing for apples at parties, the winner would supposedly marry first. Most spookily, they even used to stand in a dark room, holding a candle in front of a mirror to look for their future husband’s face to appear in the glass.
Candy Corn was originally called, "____________".
A) Chicken Feed
B) Avian Food
C) Bird Seed
Chicken Feed
The Goelitz Confectionery Company originally sold the polarizing treat in boxes with a rooster on the front to appeal to America's agricultural roots, according to National Geographic. The sugary recipe has gone largely unchanged since the 1880s. Love 'em or hate 'em, you can't argue with that kind of consistency.
This is ranked as the top Halloween candy.
A) Candy Corn
B) Reese's Cups
C) Snickers
Reese's Cups
There must be something about that blend of chocolate and peanut butter that can't keep people away since Reese's Cups are the most popular Halloween candy, with M&M's and Hot Tamales, Skittles and Sour Patch Kids following in order to round out the top five favorites, according to CandyStore.com and Navigator Research.
And although the ever-iconic candy corn ranked among the worst Halloween candies in the past, according to a CandyStore.com survey, it made its return to the top ten for favorite Halloween candy at number eight. No wonder Halloween night candy trades can get so intense.
Sugar rationing during ________________ paused Trick-or-Treating.
A) Civil War
B) WWI
C) WWII
WWII
Because of the shortage of the sweet stuff, trick-or-treating wasn't as big of a thing during WWII. After the rationing ended, it was all systems go on the candy-collecting front. Candy companies began launching advertising campaigns to cash in on the ritual and make sure kids were clamoring for their products to show up in their candy buckets and spare pillowcases.
Now, Halloween is the _____ largest commercial holiday in the country.
A) 2nd
B) 3rd
C) 5th
2nd
Only Christmas rakes in more dough. According to the National Retail Federation, it's alleged that consumers spent a record $12.2 billion, exceeding the record-breaking $10.6 billion recorded in 2022. It's also reported that a record 73% of people participated in Halloween activities, up from 69% in 2022.
This Halloween song once reigned supreme on the Billboard charts.
A) Monster Mash
B) This is Halloween
C) Thriller
Monster Mash
Bobby "Boris" Pickett reached #1 on the Hot 100 in 1962 just before Halloween and hit the charts again in 1973 — but this time in August. More recently, in 2021, it re-entered the Billboard Hot 100 chart at number 37. You might even say it continues to be "a graveyard smash!"
A city in ________ banned teens over 16 from Trick-or-Treating!
A) Ireland
B) Mexico
C) Canada
Canada
According to CBC, anyone over the age of 16 caught trick-or-treating in Bathurst, Canada, faces up to a $200 fine. The city also has a curfew for all residents, so even those under 16 aren't allowed out after 8 p.m. on Halloween. The rules were instituted to curtail after-dark mischief, after a rash of pranks.
Jack-o-Lanterns came from the country of __________.
A) Ireland
B) Russia
C) Germany
Ireland
As the story goes, an Irish man named Stingy Jack tricked the devil and therefore was not allowed into either afterlife — so he spent his days roaming the Earth carrying a lantern; hence the name "Jack of the Lantern."
In Ireland, they used to carve _________ instead of pumpkins to make Jack-'o-Lanterns.
A) Onions
B) Turnips
C) Tomatoes
Turnips
Jack-'o-lanterns did originate in Ireland, after all. Once Halloween became popular in America, people used local produce like pumpkins instead.
The fastest pumpkin carving ever only took ______ seconds.
A) 13.75
B) 9.42
C) 16.47
16.47 Seconds
Stephen Clarke of New York holds the Guinness Book of World Records distinction, having speedily carved his lantern in October 2013. In order to nab the title, the jack-o'-lantern had to contain a complete face, including eyes, nose, mouth and ears. No word on whether the expression was silly or scary.
This state holds the record for the most Jack-'o-Lanterns on display!
A) Connecticut
B) New Hampshire
C) Maine
Keene, New Hampshire
In October 2013, the city broke the record with 30,581 lit pumpkins displayed around town. Talk about lighting up the night!